Jack Shields at Iowa
Brent Warzocha/UAlbany Athletics
7
UAlbany UA 0-1 , 0-0
34
Winner Iowa UI 1-0 , 0-0
UAlbany UA
0-1 , 0-0
7
Final
34
Iowa UI
1-0 , 0-0
Winner
Score By Quarters
Team 1st 2nd 3rd 4th F
UA UAlbany 0 7 0 0 7
UI Iowa 3 14 7 10 34

Game Recap: Football |

Football Battles Big Ten Power Iowa in Season Opener

Score: UAlbany 7, Iowa (FBS) 34

Location: Kinnick Stadium in Iowa City, Iowa

Records: UAlbany (0-1, 0-0 CAA) | Iowa (1-0, 0-0 Big Ten) 

Short Story: The University at Albany football team opened its 2025 season on the road against Big Ten opponent Iowa, falling 34–7 on Saturday night at Kinnick Stadium.

Key Stat Lines 
  • Thomas Joe-Kamara led the UAlbany defense with a game-high 13 total tackles, including seven solo stops.
  • Quarterback Jack Shields, in his UAlbany debut, completed 13-of-26 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown.
  • Shields also led the Great Danes in rushing with 30 yards on 12 carries.
  • UAlbany's lone score came on a 9-yard touchdown pass from Shields to Lasalle Rose Jr. in the second quarter.
  • Caden Burti was the team's top receiving target, hauling in three catches for 56 yards (18.7 avg).
  • UAlbany outpassed Iowa 134–48, with the Danes completing 13-of-26 passes compared to Iowa's 9-of-16.
  • Both teams averaged 37 receiving yards after contact.

Head Coach Jared Ambrose: "I thought our guys battled. Any time you come out into an environment like this, you're fighting a lot of things. They [Iowa) are a phenomenal team, they're great everywhere. I was really proud of our guys and how they battled for a full 60 minutes."
 
How it Happened: 
  • Iowa opened the game with a 28-yard field goal on its opening possession to take a 3–0 lead.
  • UAlbany responded with a 68-yard scoring drive, capped by a 9-yard strike from Shields to Rose Jr. James Bozek's extra point gave the Great Danes a 7–3 lead with 11:33 remaining in the second quarter.
  • The Hawkeyes answered quickly with a 65-yard drive, finished off by a 3-yard touchdown run from Xavier Williams to retake the lead, 10–7.
  • On their next possession, Iowa extended the lead to 17–7 on a 2-yard touchdown pass from Mark Gronowski to Kaden Wetjen.
  • Iowa opened the second half with a 14-play, 60-yard drive that chewed nearly nine minutes off the clock. Gronowski capped it with a QB keeper up the middle to push the lead to 24–7.
  • Early in the fourth quarter, kicker Drew Stevens converted a 55-yard field goal to make it 27–7.
  • With 3:46 remaining, backup quarterback Hank Brown was pushed into the end zone for a final Iowa touchdown, sealing the 34–7 win.

Next: The Great Danes hit the road once again with a trip to Delaware State on the calendar for next weekend. Keep up with all of the latest news, highlights, and insights on UAlbany football by following the team on X, Instagram, and Facebook.
 
 
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